{"id":10611,"date":"2019-05-22T16:13:46","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T14:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.esmt.org\/degree-programs\/?p=10611"},"modified":"2023-05-03T15:49:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T13:49:32","slug":"esmt-berlin-alumna-leads-marriage-for-all-campaign-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.esmt.berlin\/voices\/esmt-berlin-alumna-leads-marriage-for-all-campaign-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"ESMT Berlin alumna leads Marriage for All campaign in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ESMT Berlin alumna Ai Nakajima put her MBA skills to work\u2014not only for her professional endeavors, but also in her personal life, as she became one of the pioneers to launch the “Marriage for All” campaign, which demands equal rights for same-sex couples in Japan. Starting her professional career in the USA and then Germany, she moved into the FinTech industry after acquiring her MBA at ESMT. She is now working in Japan again.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We interviewed her on the occasion of “Sticks & Stones”, Europe\u2019s largest LGBT+ career fair, which will take place on May 25 in Berlin. If you are interested the degree programs offered by ESMT and our efforts for diversity and inclusivity, meet us there. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello Ai, please introduce yourself: Where are you from? In which\nindustry did you work before the MBA and in which industry do you currently\nwork? How many years of experience do you have?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am from Japan, and I was working in the banking industry before starting my MBA at ESMT Berlin. Currently, I am working at a cryptocurrency exchange company. I have more than ten years of working experience in finance IT and project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you choose the ESMT Berlin MBA program? Why should candidates\nconsider studying at ESMT and Germany?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chose ESMT for two main reasons. One is the emphasis\non technology in the MBA program, the other is the strong connection to\nmultiple layers of German companies and government. ESMT provides a wonderful\nopportunity to get to know the culture and a variety of industries in Germany,\nfrom start-ups to big international corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was it like living in Berlin and being a student at ESMT? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germany as a country recognizes same-sex marriages,\nand when I lived there, Berlin even had an openly gay mayor \u2013 this is something\nthat is unimaginable in my home country even today. My colleagues from the bank\nand at ESMT did not bother at all that I had a female partner, and we did not\nhave to hide that aspect of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do cultural diversity and inclusion differ between German and\nJapanese work cultures?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan is much more traditional and conservative by\nnature. It was, and still is, behind in terms of diversity and inclusion. Japan\nis trying to change, but after my experience of living in Germany, I could feel\nthe difference in terms of accepting diversity in the work environment between\nthe two countries very strongly. For example, in Japan, people do not talk\nabout their private lives in the workplace, but in Germany it is the opposite,\neverybody can speak openly about his or her private life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What role do MBA education programs play in creating more inclusive\nworkspaces?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diversified demographics of my MBA class were a\ngood start to recognizing diversity and creating an inclusive atmosphere to\nsuccessfully complete group assignments. However, the students did not merely accept\ndiversity \u2013 throughout the MBA year, our minds developed a sense of what corporate\nsocial responsibility (CSR) means and how we can make a positive impact on society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marriage for All, Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You were recently part of a campaign to push the Japanese government to afford\nequal rights and protections for same-sex couples. How did this come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are following a similar path as the US Supreme\nCourt in June 2015, concluding that the constitution grants the right of marriage\nnot only to opposite-sex couples but also to same-sex couples. I am part of the\nplaintiff group to claim the same before the Japanese Court. The trial just\nstarted in February of this year. It will take roughly five years to go through\nthe court proceedings and have a verdict. I hope Japan changes gradually towards\nmore diversity in the near future. In order for this to happen, we need strong\nsupport from all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there any way you can tie in your learning outcomes from the MBA to your marriage campaign? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I have learned during the MBA has surely helped me to be part of this campaign activity. The biggest impact has come from the leadership class. I can use my leadership skills in court, at events, or interviews and proudly represent the community. The group of plaintiffs and lawyers have diverse backgrounds, and we often have a challenging time to consolidate comments or to decide on the group\u2019s direction. Therefore, I do exercise my negotiation- and problem-solving skills, which I learned at ESMT to help find consensus within the group. I have also been invited as a guest speaker at variety of events, and the presentation skills I learned have helped me to present effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the next steps in the campaign?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of court process, after going through the district court, the next step would be the high court, and the last is the Supreme Court. The non-profit organization \u201cMarriage for All Japan\u201d and the lawyers\u2019 group will host events around Japan to promote our case, calling for equal rights. In order to make this campaign successful, we need strong and loud voices from inside and outside Japan. For example, in 2018, five foreign Chamber of Commerce offices requested the Japanese government to protect the LGBT+ community and implement equal rights. This type of visibility and strong pressure will have a significant impact.  At the moment, our problem is not widely known. Therefore, our first action is to reach out to a wider audience about the LGBT+ challenges in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Marriage for All campaign in Japan, visit <\/em>marriageforall.jp\/en<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about ESMT Berlin and our degree programs\u2014Master\u2019s in Management, Full-time MBA, or part-time EMBA\u2014go to <\/em>degre<\/em><\/a>es.esmt.berlin<\/a> or visit us on campus at Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span> ESMT Berlin alumna Ai Nakajima put her MBA skills to work\u2014not only for her professional endeavors, but also in her personal life, as she became […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[732],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1283],"class_list":["post-10611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\nESMT Berlin alumna leads Marriage for All campaign in Japan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MBA graduate Ai Nakajima became one of the pioneers to launch the \u201cMarriage for All\u201d campaign, which demands equal rights for same-sex couples in Japan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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